The attorney general is to ask the court of appeal to increase the sentences handed down in the Baby Peter case after several complaints from child welfare organisations and the public that they were disappointingly short.
Lady Scotland has intervened in the case, using powers which allow her to ask the court of appeal to look again at "unduly lenient" sentences as long as she acts within 28 days of them being passed.
The mother of Baby P, or Peter, as he can now be named, was given an indeterminate sentence of "imprisonment for public protection" with a minimum term, or tariff, of five years to be served before she can be considered for release. However, she will be able to apply for parole in just over three years because she had already spent 644 days on remand awaiting trial.
Jason Owen, the mother's lodger, was also given an indeterminate sentence for public protection with a minimum tariff of at least three years. He had already spent 289 days in custody when the sentences were handed down by the Old Bailey judge last Friday and so could, in theory, be out in just over two years. The mother's boyfriend was given 12 years for Peter's death and ordered to serve a life sentence for the rape of a two-year-old girl, serving a minimum of 10 years.
Peter was 17 months old when he was found dead in a blood-spattered cot in August 2007 having suffered a broken back and fractured ribs. He had more than 50 injuries despite having been on the at-risk register and visited 60 times in eight months by social workers, doctors and police. Neither the mother or her boyfriend can be named for legal reasons.
Passing sentence, the Old Bailey judge, Judge Stephen Kramer QC, stressed that the minimum terms he had specified did not mean that they would be automatically released at that point: "The making of a direction will be for the parole board to determine when or if you are deemed no longer to be a risk to the public and in particular to children."
But the minimum terms provoked confusion and anger with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in particular saying they were disappointed that the minimum tariffs were so low that two of those found guilty could be freed within a few short years: "It raises the question of how bad the abuse has to be before offenders get a longer minimum time in prison," asked the NSPCC's chief executive, Andrew Flanagan.
He said two of Peter's abusers could walk free at a time when their victim should be a schoolboy with a new world in front of him: "These three caused or allowed the torture and death of a defenceless baby. They may be behind bars now but when released from prison they must be put under the most stringent monitoring so they can never harm another individual."
In setting the minimum tariff of five years in the case of the mother, Judge Kramer said the maximum sentence for the offence of causing or allowing the death of a child was 14 years. He would have given her a 12-year sentence for that offence but since she had pleaded guilty he would have reduced it to 10 years, of which she would have spent half of it in custody. So he set her minimum tariff for the indefinite sentence at five years, less the 644 days she had already spent in custody awaiting trial.
For the lodger, Jason Owen, the judge said he had set a minimum term of three years because if an indefinite sentence had not been appropriate he would have given him a fixed term sentence of six years, of which he would spent half in prison.
The attorney general's office said they had called for the papers from the case since Baroness Scotland has the power to refer certain sentences to the court of appeal for review if she thought the sentence was unduly lenient.
"Within this power, the attorney general can look at minimum tariffs imposed on life and indeterminate sentence prisoners. However, it is important to understand that such prisoners are not released automatically after the minimum term has been served – they are only released when the independent parole board is satisfied that their continued detention is no longer necessary to protect the public."
There has been an explosion in the use of indefinite sentences since their introduction in 2005 with more than 5,000 prisoners now without a definite release date. Concern up until now has centred on more than 1,000 prisoners who were given a very short tariff but have remained in prison long after because of the lack of courses inside to address their offending. Fewer than 50 prisoners have been released after their minimum tariff date.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
John Butterfill claimed £17,000 MPs' expenses for servants' … er, staff quarters
In the beginning there was the viscount's moat. Then, as the expenses saga developed, there was a floating duck island funded by the taxpayer on behalf of a knight of the shire.
And now, just as the nation was beginning to tire of the great 2009 expenses scandal, we have servants' quarters paid for out of the public purse.
Sir John Butterfill, a Conservative grandee hoping to serve out his last year as the MP for Bournemouth West, Dorset, in some style, was last night having to embark on the rather vulgar business of explaining how the taxpayer paid for an extension which housed the gardener and the gardener's wife.
To the horror of the Tory leadership, which believes the expenses claims of grandees are reviving old stereo-types, Butterfill appeared slightly confused as he explained that today's Daily Telegraph had mistakenly claimed that he had servants. "It is a gross misrepresentation of what I said to the young lady at the Telegraph," he told the BBC Newsnight programme as he denied having built servants' quarters from his parliamentary allowance.
"I purchased a house in Woking in derelict condition. I gutted and rewired it. I extended the living room, I extended the kitchen, and made a family room off the kitchen; and I extended it to make a wing for my gardener and his wife."
Then, with a slip of the tongue, he indicated that he did have servants' quarters. "The mistake I made was that, in claiming interest [from the expenses allowance] on the home, I didn't separate from that the value of the servants' … er the staff … wing. I claimed the whole of that and the whole of the council tax related to that.
"I cleared that with the fees office and wasn't told that I didn't need to separate out the part of the house that was being occupied by my gardener and his wife from the whole house. I understand that I should have done that."
Butterfill's claims came to light after the Daily Telegraph noticed that he failed to pay capital gains tax on the sale of his country house for £1.2m in 2005.
He will repay £40,000 to cover the tax, after designating the property to the inland revenue as his main residence but designating it to the Commons authorities as his second home, allowing him to claim allowances.
As for the servants' quarters in Woking, Butterfill will be handing back £20,000.
Together, it will cost him a mere £60,000 to leave Westminster with a clean bill of health at the general election.
And now, just as the nation was beginning to tire of the great 2009 expenses scandal, we have servants' quarters paid for out of the public purse.
Sir John Butterfill, a Conservative grandee hoping to serve out his last year as the MP for Bournemouth West, Dorset, in some style, was last night having to embark on the rather vulgar business of explaining how the taxpayer paid for an extension which housed the gardener and the gardener's wife.
To the horror of the Tory leadership, which believes the expenses claims of grandees are reviving old stereo-types, Butterfill appeared slightly confused as he explained that today's Daily Telegraph had mistakenly claimed that he had servants. "It is a gross misrepresentation of what I said to the young lady at the Telegraph," he told the BBC Newsnight programme as he denied having built servants' quarters from his parliamentary allowance.
"I purchased a house in Woking in derelict condition. I gutted and rewired it. I extended the living room, I extended the kitchen, and made a family room off the kitchen; and I extended it to make a wing for my gardener and his wife."
Then, with a slip of the tongue, he indicated that he did have servants' quarters. "The mistake I made was that, in claiming interest [from the expenses allowance] on the home, I didn't separate from that the value of the servants' … er the staff … wing. I claimed the whole of that and the whole of the council tax related to that.
"I cleared that with the fees office and wasn't told that I didn't need to separate out the part of the house that was being occupied by my gardener and his wife from the whole house. I understand that I should have done that."
Butterfill's claims came to light after the Daily Telegraph noticed that he failed to pay capital gains tax on the sale of his country house for £1.2m in 2005.
He will repay £40,000 to cover the tax, after designating the property to the inland revenue as his main residence but designating it to the Commons authorities as his second home, allowing him to claim allowances.
As for the servants' quarters in Woking, Butterfill will be handing back £20,000.
Together, it will cost him a mere £60,000 to leave Westminster with a clean bill of health at the general election.
DNA 'proves Argentine's incest'
An Argentine man accused of incest fathered seven children with his daughter, officials have said.
DNA tests showed that Armando Lucero, 67, was the father of the children, according to Ricardo Puga of the Mendoza provincial legislature.
The alleged incest with the 35-year-old woman started when she was eight.
Officials are waiting for the results of psychological tests on Mr Lucero, also accused of raping two of his other daughters. He remains in custody.
Mr Lucero faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.
His daughter's seven children are aged between two and 19.
They all lived together, with Mr Lucero's second wife and stepmother, AFP news agency reported.
The daughter, who has not been publically named, went to local authorities for help after her father threatened to sexually abuse one of her daughters.
DNA tests showed that Armando Lucero, 67, was the father of the children, according to Ricardo Puga of the Mendoza provincial legislature.
The alleged incest with the 35-year-old woman started when she was eight.
Officials are waiting for the results of psychological tests on Mr Lucero, also accused of raping two of his other daughters. He remains in custody.
Mr Lucero faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.
His daughter's seven children are aged between two and 19.
They all lived together, with Mr Lucero's second wife and stepmother, AFP news agency reported.
The daughter, who has not been publically named, went to local authorities for help after her father threatened to sexually abuse one of her daughters.
Taliban blamed for Lahore attack
Pakistan's government has blamed Taliban fighters for a bomb attack in Lahore which killed 23 people and left hundreds more injured.
A group of men shot at police officers before detonating a powerful car bomb, damaging buildings belonging to the police and intelligence agency the ISI.
Rescuers are searching the rubble and warn that the death toll could rise.
Officials said the Taliban carried out the attack in revenge for a military offensive against them in Swat valley.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters: "Enemies of Pakistan who want to destabilise the country are coming here after their defeat in Swat.
"There is a war, and this is a war for our survival."
A group calling itself Tehrik-i-Taliban Punjab claimed responsibility for the bombing in a Turkish-language statement posted on jihadist websites, the SITE monitoring group said.
The claim could not be verified and the group's relationship to the Taliban, if any, was unclear.
'Attack on the state'
At least one ISI agent, 12 police officers and one child were reported killed in the attack, at about 1030 local time (0530 GMT).
Local officials have speculated that the military intelligence agency could have been the target.
The ISI's offices were damaged by the bombing, and a police emergency-response building was flattened.
The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, in Lahore, says it is not clear which organisation the perpetrators were attacking - but it is clear that they were attacking the Pakistani state.
A least two arrests were made, but police officials later told the BBC that those detained appear to have been innocent bystanders.
Meanwhile, the military says it expects the main town in the Swat valley, Mingora, to be cleared of Taliban insurgents within two or three days.
The military said two other areas away from Swat which have also seen heavy fighting - Mohmand and Sultanwas - were now safe enough for residents to return home.
Sustained violence
Lahore, in Punjab province near the Indian border, is known as Pakistan's cultural capital and is far from the Swat valley.
But in March militants laid siege to a police compound in the city, killing eight people, and weeks earlier the Sri Lanka cricket team was attacked there.
The BBC's Shoaib Hasan, in Pakistan, says Lahore is facing a sustained campaign of violence unlike any it has seen before.
He says security officials believe the city is under attack because it is seen as a stable home for Pakistan's Punjab-dominated army.
The army is claiming sweeping victories against Taliban insurgents in the Swat valley, near the Afghan border - saying more than 1,000 militants have been killed in the past month.
Militants had threatened revenge attacks in Pakistan's cities after the military stepped up its operations in the Swat valley.
Global condemnation
After the latest attack, television footage showed rescue workers sifting through the debris, pulling half-conscious police officers from the rubble.
Bulldozers and other heavy lifting equipment have been brought in as many people are feared trapped under the debris.
Officials told reporters a car pulled up near the police headquarters and a group of gunmen got out and opened fire.
When police returned fire, the gunmen's car exploded.
BBC News website readers in the city described hearing a huge explosion.
Zubair Bukhari, who was in his office about 500m away from the blast, said it rocked the entire building.
"Glass windows shattered to pieces and the ceiling came down on the floor," he said.
Another reader, Matthias Gattermeier, said: "I ran out of the building and saw a surreal huge ring of white smoke rise into air."
Politicians from around the world have condemned the attack and offered condolences to Pakistan.
US ambassador Anne Patterson said the attacks "show the lengths extremist elements are willing to go to as they attempt to force their agenda on to a people who only wish to go about their daily lives in peace".
A group of men shot at police officers before detonating a powerful car bomb, damaging buildings belonging to the police and intelligence agency the ISI.
Rescuers are searching the rubble and warn that the death toll could rise.
Officials said the Taliban carried out the attack in revenge for a military offensive against them in Swat valley.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters: "Enemies of Pakistan who want to destabilise the country are coming here after their defeat in Swat.
"There is a war, and this is a war for our survival."
A group calling itself Tehrik-i-Taliban Punjab claimed responsibility for the bombing in a Turkish-language statement posted on jihadist websites, the SITE monitoring group said.
The claim could not be verified and the group's relationship to the Taliban, if any, was unclear.
'Attack on the state'
At least one ISI agent, 12 police officers and one child were reported killed in the attack, at about 1030 local time (0530 GMT).
Local officials have speculated that the military intelligence agency could have been the target.
The ISI's offices were damaged by the bombing, and a police emergency-response building was flattened.
The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, in Lahore, says it is not clear which organisation the perpetrators were attacking - but it is clear that they were attacking the Pakistani state.
A least two arrests were made, but police officials later told the BBC that those detained appear to have been innocent bystanders.
Meanwhile, the military says it expects the main town in the Swat valley, Mingora, to be cleared of Taliban insurgents within two or three days.
The military said two other areas away from Swat which have also seen heavy fighting - Mohmand and Sultanwas - were now safe enough for residents to return home.
Sustained violence
Lahore, in Punjab province near the Indian border, is known as Pakistan's cultural capital and is far from the Swat valley.
But in March militants laid siege to a police compound in the city, killing eight people, and weeks earlier the Sri Lanka cricket team was attacked there.
The BBC's Shoaib Hasan, in Pakistan, says Lahore is facing a sustained campaign of violence unlike any it has seen before.
He says security officials believe the city is under attack because it is seen as a stable home for Pakistan's Punjab-dominated army.
The army is claiming sweeping victories against Taliban insurgents in the Swat valley, near the Afghan border - saying more than 1,000 militants have been killed in the past month.
Militants had threatened revenge attacks in Pakistan's cities after the military stepped up its operations in the Swat valley.
Global condemnation
After the latest attack, television footage showed rescue workers sifting through the debris, pulling half-conscious police officers from the rubble.
Bulldozers and other heavy lifting equipment have been brought in as many people are feared trapped under the debris.
Officials told reporters a car pulled up near the police headquarters and a group of gunmen got out and opened fire.
When police returned fire, the gunmen's car exploded.
BBC News website readers in the city described hearing a huge explosion.
Zubair Bukhari, who was in his office about 500m away from the blast, said it rocked the entire building.
"Glass windows shattered to pieces and the ceiling came down on the floor," he said.
Another reader, Matthias Gattermeier, said: "I ran out of the building and saw a surreal huge ring of white smoke rise into air."
Politicians from around the world have condemned the attack and offered condolences to Pakistan.
US ambassador Anne Patterson said the attacks "show the lengths extremist elements are willing to go to as they attempt to force their agenda on to a people who only wish to go about their daily lives in peace".
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Rahul knows that India’s real strength lies in villages
24 years have passed when Late Rajiv Gandhi dreamt of taking India into 21st century. Today, India is emerging as a strong country and Rahul Gandhi, who is following the footprints of his father, has tossed an important question and the question is; from where does India gets it' s strength?...
In the course of Lok Sabha election 2009, Rahul often raised this question and he tried to find the answer himself. He talked about his visit to Amethi with a British minister (David Milliband) where they had food and spent night with villagers. Rahul said, “The British minister asked me as to where do India gets it's strength? I told him that if he wanted to feel the strength of India he would have to go to villages. The strength of India could not be understood in an air-conditioned room in Delhi. Thereafter Rahul went on telling as to how he took Milliband to Amethi, had food, talked to people and spent a night. He said that a foreigner easily understood the strength of India but BJP could not understand it. He criticized opposition for not recognizing the hard labour, struggle, optimism and honest values of the villagers and said that the opposition was trapped in the complete hangover of India shining and urbane glitter.
When Rahul talks about the villages and hinterland, Rajiv Gandhi appears again before people in their mind. Due to IT revolution, Rajiv Gandhi is considered as the symbol of urban development but the silent revolution Rajiv Gandhi initiated through Panchati Raj has become Rahul’s main campaign plank.
Rahul Gandhi is showing the world how villages are being transformed through Panchayats. There is great similarity between the father and the son; both are great listeners as experienced by this correspondent during various tours with both leaders.
Rajivji listened to the villagers for hours as Manishankar Aiyyar a long time associate of Rajivji recalls. “When Rajivji talked to villagers it was difficult to guess how much time had passed. It is interesting that Rahul Gandhi does not tell one thing about his visit to Amethi with Milliband that he played the role of a translator for hours between Milliband and the villagers.
Rahiv Gandhi strengthened the base of grass root democracy by empowering villages through Panchayati Raj. On the same line, Rahul is making new experiments in Youth Congress and student organization of the party by bringing democracy within them. He has successfully conducted elections of Youth Congress and NSUI in Punjab and Uttarakhand under the supervision of ex-CEC J M Lyngodh. The party swept the election in both these states bagging all the five seats in Uttarkhand and 9 out of 13 in Punjab. However, Rahul’s strategy in winning these seats are yet to be analyzed.
excerpts from http://pressbrief.in/
In the course of Lok Sabha election 2009, Rahul often raised this question and he tried to find the answer himself. He talked about his visit to Amethi with a British minister (David Milliband) where they had food and spent night with villagers. Rahul said, “The British minister asked me as to where do India gets it's strength? I told him that if he wanted to feel the strength of India he would have to go to villages. The strength of India could not be understood in an air-conditioned room in Delhi. Thereafter Rahul went on telling as to how he took Milliband to Amethi, had food, talked to people and spent a night. He said that a foreigner easily understood the strength of India but BJP could not understand it. He criticized opposition for not recognizing the hard labour, struggle, optimism and honest values of the villagers and said that the opposition was trapped in the complete hangover of India shining and urbane glitter.
When Rahul talks about the villages and hinterland, Rajiv Gandhi appears again before people in their mind. Due to IT revolution, Rajiv Gandhi is considered as the symbol of urban development but the silent revolution Rajiv Gandhi initiated through Panchati Raj has become Rahul’s main campaign plank.
Rahul Gandhi is showing the world how villages are being transformed through Panchayats. There is great similarity between the father and the son; both are great listeners as experienced by this correspondent during various tours with both leaders.
Rajivji listened to the villagers for hours as Manishankar Aiyyar a long time associate of Rajivji recalls. “When Rajivji talked to villagers it was difficult to guess how much time had passed. It is interesting that Rahul Gandhi does not tell one thing about his visit to Amethi with Milliband that he played the role of a translator for hours between Milliband and the villagers.
Rahiv Gandhi strengthened the base of grass root democracy by empowering villages through Panchayati Raj. On the same line, Rahul is making new experiments in Youth Congress and student organization of the party by bringing democracy within them. He has successfully conducted elections of Youth Congress and NSUI in Punjab and Uttarakhand under the supervision of ex-CEC J M Lyngodh. The party swept the election in both these states bagging all the five seats in Uttarkhand and 9 out of 13 in Punjab. However, Rahul’s strategy in winning these seats are yet to be analyzed.
excerpts from http://pressbrief.in/
Monsoon clouds gather on Bengal
The monsoon is likely to hit Bengal in the next two or three days, at least 10 days earlier than usual, the Met office today said.
Before that, the next two days could see heavy rain in Calcutta and the south Bengal districts, raising the hope that this summer’s heat wave-like conditions may now be over.
The Met office issued a cyclone alert tonight, warning of heavy rain in south Bengal in the next 48 hours and asking fishermen not to go to sea. The expected cyclonic storm and the early monsoon onset are related.
A depression formed over the west central Bay of Bengal today and was 600km from Calcutta, Met officials said tonight. It is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm and move towards Bengal and the Bangladesh coast, triggering the next two days’ rain.
“The rapid progress of the monsoon is also being caused by the depression, which is dragging the monsoon currents faster towards the state,” said G.C. Debnath, the director of the weather section at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore. “We expect the monsoon to set in within the next two or three days. We expect the depression to drag the monsoon into north and south Bengal on the same day.”
The monsoon usually hits north Bengal on June 5 and south Bengal three days later. The last time these rain-bearing winds had arrived in south Bengal so early was 10 years ago, on May 28, 1999.
A Met official said that once the monsoon currents set in, the maximum temperature is not expected to rise beyond 35-36°C. Debnath said the next two days’ rain “may cross 250mm at one or two places”.
The monsoon today moved into Kerala nine days before the normal arrival date of June 1. An early onset, though, has no apparent correlation with monsoon behaviour. The India Meteorological Department has predicted 96 per cent of the average rainfall this year.
Before that, the next two days could see heavy rain in Calcutta and the south Bengal districts, raising the hope that this summer’s heat wave-like conditions may now be over.
The Met office issued a cyclone alert tonight, warning of heavy rain in south Bengal in the next 48 hours and asking fishermen not to go to sea. The expected cyclonic storm and the early monsoon onset are related.
A depression formed over the west central Bay of Bengal today and was 600km from Calcutta, Met officials said tonight. It is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm and move towards Bengal and the Bangladesh coast, triggering the next two days’ rain.
“The rapid progress of the monsoon is also being caused by the depression, which is dragging the monsoon currents faster towards the state,” said G.C. Debnath, the director of the weather section at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore. “We expect the monsoon to set in within the next two or three days. We expect the depression to drag the monsoon into north and south Bengal on the same day.”
The monsoon usually hits north Bengal on June 5 and south Bengal three days later. The last time these rain-bearing winds had arrived in south Bengal so early was 10 years ago, on May 28, 1999.
A Met official said that once the monsoon currents set in, the maximum temperature is not expected to rise beyond 35-36°C. Debnath said the next two days’ rain “may cross 250mm at one or two places”.
The monsoon today moved into Kerala nine days before the normal arrival date of June 1. An early onset, though, has no apparent correlation with monsoon behaviour. The India Meteorological Department has predicted 96 per cent of the average rainfall this year.
China now bigger threat than Pak: IAF chief
Taking China’s dramatic military expansion seriously, the Indian Air Force chief has said China poses a more real and potent threat to India than Pakistan, which remains caught in a vortex of conflict and instability.
Talking to HT, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major said India was rapidly upgrading its fighter bases in the country’s northeast to boost its military deterrence against China.
“China is a totally different ballgame compared to Pakistan,” the air chief said. “We know very little about the actual capabilities of China, their combat edge or how professional their military is…they are certainly a greater threat.”
The comments are bound to lend urgency to the new government’s China agenda and the need to understand the security implications of the rapidly modernising Chinese military.
The Chinese air force is ridding itself of obsolete platforms from the 1960s such as the J-6 and J-7 (equivalent to MiG-19s and MiG-21s). The People’s Liberation Army Air Force is pushing full steam ahead with the induction of first-rate fighter jets such as Sukhoi-30s, JF-17 Thunder light combat aircraft, J-10 strike fighters, airborne early warning aircraft and midair refuellers to expand the operating radius of its fighter jets.
“The way he (China) is growing, he definitely has the capability. But we should neither put China on a pedestal and say it will chew us up nor lose sight of the fact that they have (acquired) huge capabilities,” Major said.
Talking to HT, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major said India was rapidly upgrading its fighter bases in the country’s northeast to boost its military deterrence against China.
“China is a totally different ballgame compared to Pakistan,” the air chief said. “We know very little about the actual capabilities of China, their combat edge or how professional their military is…they are certainly a greater threat.”
The comments are bound to lend urgency to the new government’s China agenda and the need to understand the security implications of the rapidly modernising Chinese military.
The Chinese air force is ridding itself of obsolete platforms from the 1960s such as the J-6 and J-7 (equivalent to MiG-19s and MiG-21s). The People’s Liberation Army Air Force is pushing full steam ahead with the induction of first-rate fighter jets such as Sukhoi-30s, JF-17 Thunder light combat aircraft, J-10 strike fighters, airborne early warning aircraft and midair refuellers to expand the operating radius of its fighter jets.
“The way he (China) is growing, he definitely has the capability. But we should neither put China on a pedestal and say it will chew us up nor lose sight of the fact that they have (acquired) huge capabilities,” Major said.
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